Standard fluorescent tubes used throughout the world are generally known as T8 tubes and may be rated at a number of different power values. These fluorescent tubes are gradually being replaced by T5 tubes which also may be rated at a number of different power values but less than a corresponding T8 tube. Such replacement is ongoing in order to reduce energy consumption and thereby minimising greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, energy costs will also be reduced to business users and residential users. As a result of reducing the power or energy consumption and providing substantially the same illuminance than the existing T8 tubes, the length of the new T5 tubes is shorter than the old T8 tubes. Consequently in order to use the new shorter tubes, corresponding T5 fittings need to be purchased and installed which can be extremely expensive for businesses that have large useable floor space where the lighting requirements to illuminate such floor space involves many fluorescent tubes. Not only would a business be expected to pay a large cost for converting to the new tubes but also for the installations and fittings that go with those new tubes.
The present invention seeks to overcome the abovementioned disadvantages by providing a fluorescent tube adaptor that is adapted to enable the use of the new T5 fluorescent tubes in existing T8 fluorescent tube housings or fittings. In this manner much cost will be saved to businesses and consumers in that they avoid having to replace the existing T8 fluorescent tube light fittings with new T5 fluorescent tube light fittings